February 2026 Recap

Chapter 690 - "There Is Still Something That Could Be Good" ...as read by Vicious Rain Today we welcome back David Häusermann and Mauro Gugerli from Vicious Rain to the podcast. The new Vicious Rain record, The Anatomy Of Surviving, is out today on Arising Empire Records! The guys talk about the writing process and connecting The Beauty Of Letting Go to the new record, the continuing evolution of writing lyrics as a duo, the intention behind the artwork, being a band on Arising Empire as the label’s popularity grows, and more. https://viciousrain.com/https://arisingempire-us.shop/collections/vicous-rainDiscordPatreonSubstack Email: [email protected] Chapter 690 Music: Vicious Rain - "IKIGAI" Vicious Rain - "Spitting Blood Again" Vicious Rain - "Hysteria" Vicious Rain - "A Spotless Mind"

Chapter 689 - "It's Advantageous To Be Creative All The Time" ...as read by Ryan Patterson of Coliseum/Fotocrime Today we welcome Coliseum and Fotocrime frontman Ryan Patterson to the podcast! The new Fotocrime record, Security, is out this Friday, March 13th, on Arttofact Records. Ryan talks about the influence of Dischord Records and creating music outside of genre boxes, inviting friends to be a part of the new Fotocrime record, the theme behind Security, how Fotocrime opened the door for more music from Coliseum, and more. https://www.fotocrime.com/https://fotocrime.bandcamp.com/musichttps://coliseum.bandcamp.com/DiscordPatreonSubstack Email: [email protected] Chapter 689 Music: Fotocrime - "Crimewave" Fotocrime - "Plowjob" Fotocrime - "Unthinkable" Fotocrime - "Security"   

Chapter 688 - "It Keeps You Young" ...as read by Eric Peterson of Testament Today we welcome Eric Peterson, guitarist for legendary thrash band Testament to the podcast. Testament released their 14th full-length, Para Bellum, late last year and is about to embark on the Thrash Of The Titans tour with Overkill and Destruction. Eric talks about the legacy and relevancy of thrash, how touring, press, and songwriting have changed over the years, the joy of playing music, experimenting with their live set, and more.https://www.testamentlegions.com/DiscordPatreonSubstack Email: [email protected] Chapter 688 Music: Testament - "For The Love Of Pain" Testament - "Children Of The Next Level" Testament - "Infanticide AI" Testament - "Witch Hunt" Testament - "Nature Of The Beast" Testament - "Para Bellum" Testament - "Return To Serenity" 

Chapter 687 - "Leave The Interpretation To The Listener" ...as read by Bryan Manning of Bosse-de-Nage Today we welcome Bosse-de-Nage frontman Bryan Manning to the podcast. The new Bosse-de-Nage record, Hidden Fires Burn Hottest, is out today on The Flenser. Bryan talks about his love of black metal, his early bands and the formation of Bosse-de-Nage, the band’s musical exploration and evolution, the inspiration for Hidden Fires Burn Hottest, and more.https://bosse-de-nage.bandcamp.com/https://nowflensing.com/collections/bosse-de-nageDiscordPatreonSubstack Email: [email protected] Chapter 687 Music: Bosse-de-Nage - "Where To Now" Bosse-de-Nage - "Marie" Bosse-de-Nage - "In The Name Of The Moth" Bosse-de-Nage - "Leviathan"

Chapter 686 - "An Outside Perspective Of Things I've Seen" ...as read by Jake Murphy of Final Gasp  Today we welcome Final Gasp frontman Jake Murphy to the podcast. Final Gasp released New Day Symptoms last Friday on Relapse Records. Jake talks his experience in the local music scene as a teenager, wanting to create music inspired by Samhain, how friends connected the band to Relapse, the musical evolution the band underwent on New Day Symptoms, how promotion is changing and shifting, and a lot more. https://finalgasp.bandcamp.com/album/mourning-moonhttps://www.relapse.com/collections/final-gaspDiscordPatreonSubstack Email: [email protected] Chapter 686 Music: Final Gasp - "The Apparition" Final Gasp - "Climax Infinity" Final Gasp - "Burials Of Birth"  

Today I have clips from every episode that aired in February, including conversations with Joe Edwards and Sam Finney of Shields, Jake Woodruff of Jagged City and Defeater, Dima Kozhuhar and Alex Zaterkovny of Space Of Variations, Kat Keo of Hoaxed, Tom Hewson of Tailgunner, Martijn Westerholt of Delain and Eye Of Melian, and Zac Mayfield of Dayseeker and Oh Sleeper. February Sponsor - Tapehead City https://tapeheadcity.com/DiscordPatreonSubstack Email: [email protected] Music: Shields - "Abuser" Jagged City - "Imaginary Lines" Space Of Variations - "Tribe" Hoaxed - "Kill Switch" Tailgunner - "Tears In Rain" Eye Of Melian - "Symphonia Arcana" Dayseeker - "Pale Moonlight"

Chapter 685 - "We Want You To Do Cool S*** On Drums" ...as read by Zac Mayfield Today we welcome Dayseeker and Oh Sleeper drummer Zac Mayfield to the podcast! Zac talks about “baddiecore” and genre classifications, how joining Oh Sleeper changed the trajectory of his life, finding himself thrust into the christian metal scene and navigating those experiences, Dayseeker not rushing into new music, the current state of the gaming industry, and more. https://dayseeker.band/ February Sponsor - Tapehead City https://tapeheadcity.com/DiscordPatreonSubstack Email: [email protected] Chapter 685 Music: Dayseeker - "Bloodlust" Oh Sleeper - "The Marriage Of Steel And Skin" Dayseeker - "Pale Moonlight" Dayseeker - "Nocturnal Remedy"

Chapter 684 - "Not A Preplanned Thing" ...as read by Martijn Westerholt of Delain and Eye Of MelianToday we welcome Delain and Eye of Melian keyboardist and songwriter Martijn Westerholt to the podcast! The new Eye Of Melian album, Forest Of Forgetting, is out today on Napalm Records. Martijn talks about the influence of his brothers and getting into keyboards, starting Delain after leaving Within Temptation, Charlotte leaving Delain, the inspiration for Eye Of Melian and creating something not in the metal world, and so much more.https://eyeofmelian.com/https://eyeofmelian.bandcamp.com/https://www.delain.nl/https://delain.bandcamp.com/musicFebruary Sponsor - Tapehead City https://tapeheadcity.com/DiscordPatreonSubstackEmail: [email protected] 684 Music:Eye Of Melian - "Symphonia Arcana"Delain - "Frozen"Delain - "Dance With The Devil"Eye Of Melian - "Dawn Of Avatars"

Chapter 683 - "The Way Heavy Metal Is Supposed To Sound" ...as read by Tom Hewson of TailgunnerToday we welcome Tailgunner bassist and founder Tom Hewson to the podcast! Tailgunner released Midnight Blitz back on February 6th with Napalm Records. Tom talks about his love for and wanting to make classic British heavy metal, finding the right band members to execute the musical vision in his head, signing with Napalm Records, the visual aesthetic of the band and heavy metal as a whole, and a lot more. https://tailgunner.bandcamp.com/album/midnight-blitzhttps://napalmrecords.us/collections/tailgunnerFebruary Sponsor - Tapehead City https://tapeheadcity.com/DiscordPatreonSubstackEmail: [email protected] 683 Music:Tailgunner - "Midnight Blitz"Tailgunner - "Tears In Rain"Tailgunner - "Barren Lands And Seas Of Red"Tailgunner - "War In Heaven"

Chapter 682 - "A More Energetic Album" ...as read by Kat Keo of HoaxedToday we welcome back to the podcast Hoaxed front woman Kat Keo! The new Hoaxed record, Death Knocks, is out today on Relapse Records! Kat talks about adding April to the band on bass, touring with black metal bands, the preparation the band put into the songs before hitting the studio, the lyrical ideas on Death Knocks, and more.https://www.hoaxedband.com/https://hoaxed.bandcamp.com/https://asthestorygrows.com/episodes/hoaxedFebruary Sponsor - Tapehead City https://tapeheadcity.com/DiscordPatreonSubstackEmail: [email protected] 682 Music:Hoaxed - "Where The Seas Fall Silent"Hoaxed - "The Family"Hoaxed - "Kill Switch"